Learning to share your story after loss can feel daunting—but it’s also one of the most powerful ways to heal. Writing coach Romana Hasenöhrl joins Dr. Tina Fornwald to explore how creative expression helps us navigate grief, remember our loved ones, and rediscover joy. Through her own experience of losing her grandmother, Romana found comfort in writing, eventually transforming her pain into purpose by helping others find their voices. Together, they discuss the emotional release that comes from storytelling, why joy and sorrow can coexist, and how sharing your story can bring light, connection, and meaning back into your life. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others.  Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Share Your Story: The Healing Power Of Writing With Romana Hasenöhrl Voices Of Widowhood: Healing Through The Holidays Finding Joy & Healing: Navigating Grief And The Holidays Has grief told you that you’re not allowed to be happy, you’re not allowed to laugh, and you’re not allowed to have purpose anymore? Our conversation with Romana, a writing coach, is going to blow past those negative myths. We’re going to talk about how you are allowed to be happy. At the same time, you’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to have purpose. You’re allowed to miss your loved one. The duality of those is not a choice between one or the other. Let’s get into this conversation now.       Romana, welcome to the Widowhood. Thanks for having me. I’m so happy to be on your show. Thank you. When you hear “Welcome to the Widowhood,” what’s the invisible ticker tape that goes across your head, thinking about this community and having this conversation? One of my best friends is Marie Alessi, and you’re connected already. I know what she’s doing, and I have quite positive feelings. I have to tell the truth. If this conversation had been years ago, I would be like, “What?” The more you get into the topic and talk to people, the better you understand what it means. Where are you located? I’m in Salzburg, Austria, which is The Sound of Music city. Thank you. I am glad that you were able to join this series, Voices of Widowhood: Healing through the Holidays. This conversation is intended, knowing that the holidays and grief are not good partners. They can be very difficult. You mentioned that years ago, this conversation would have been different for you. Can you share what’s happened in that five-year timeline? Why does it make it different? First of all, I got to know Marie. She’s working with widows in Sydney, Australia, and not only widows, but with the topic of grief in general. We met via the internet, through Facebook. She saw my name. “She’s Austrian, too.” I got to write her some lines. We got in contact. In 2021, my grandma died. I grew up with her. I never expected that this would hit me so hard. My grandma was a very happy and lucky person. She was 94. I went into those childhood feelings and behavior. I yelled out, “You promised me you would get to 100. Now you died at 94.” I was devastated. I felt out of my body, watching myself acting. I’ve never had that before. After two or three months, I called Marie and said, “Is that normal?” In my family, it’s not normal to talk about death, grief, what comes after, and how to behave. There’s nothing. That’s like a white landscape. I got into that conversation on what’s normal and why it’s not necessary to act normal because you are an individual. You’re grieving. You’re dealing with it, and especially with the holidays. That’s your individual phase. My granny died in September. When Christmas was coming up, I always spent Christmas with her. That was a hard time. I was very glad I had someone who guided me, like you guide people in those situations. The Power Of Community: Finding Solace In Shared Grief Thank you for sharing that. I understand, and I know from you, working with Marie, that all grief is the same. At the same time, grief is different, depending on the relationship. I know a lot of people who are tuning in to this conversation may have lost their spouse. By you losing your grandmother, it sounds as if it’s giving you a concept of how profound and more extreme a loss could be of losing their spouse, someone that they’ve mended their life together with and done those different things. Speaking with Marie, having that community, but being in a family where that was not permitted or allowed, how did that make you feel to be someplace that you could talk freely about your grandmother and the grief that you were experiencing? For me, there was a big release. It is allowed to cry. In my family, it was like, “She got to 94. What are you crying about?” This is unbelievable for me. It is allowed to cry. It is allowed to share. There were people in the group. I was invited to join a group that had lost their spouse and had lost their kids. We all shared what our feelings are, how we think the future will be, how hard it is, or how we might make it a little bit easier, first of all, by sharing. As I’m a writer, also in writing. For me, it was that clue to write it down. Maybe someday, a story will come up with all the thoughts. Maybe a novel, or maybe not, but keep on writing. This was very important for me as